The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

A dog resists playing dress-up with his little girl.

Milly is a little white girl with red hair who has a big
yellow dog called Hugo, with whom she plays tea party and dress-up with until
it's time for a walk. Hugo’s amiable until she ties a bow on him, and the
humiliated dog gets rid of it as soon as possible—but there's a new bow the
next day and the next.…After days of progressively more outlandish bows, Hugo
runs away to the city. But after seeing a happy dog wearing a bow with its own
happy little girl, he misses Milly and runs home to get her, leading her to a
most distinguished-looking bow. The next day, Hugo struts through the streets
with his new bow. Cotterill's art style is a delight, with blocks of colors and
patterns, a mix of brights and earth tones reminiscent of 1960s European
cartoons, and she adds heavy black lines sparingly—to best effect with facial
expressions. The story's basic take-away is "life is better with friends"
but also perfectly demonstrates how to reframe new experiences to allow joy
over discomfort. There are some clever elements in the art, most notably the
way Hugo uses his bow to make a classic “hobo stick” when he runs away.

An enjoyable, repeatable read-aloud with memorable art that will
have readers hoping for another outing with Hugo. (Picture book. 4-8)

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